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(More customer reviews)As a classical guitarist, I am often under the mercy of the venue's acoustics and/or sound system on any given performance. To say that this is frustrating is an understatement. I wished that there was a way for me to be freed of this tyranny and be able to carry my own sound system. When I read about the Fishman Solo Amp, I immediately thought this could be it - the ultimate solution. It is truly compact and you can carry the guitar in one hand and the amp on the other in one trip from your car. And it does fit inside my trunk nicely. Set up is quick and easy.
Admittedly, all the reviews I read was for the use of an acoustic steel guitar, all glowing, but I didn't find a review using nylon classical guitar. Nevertheless, it got me really excited and finally pulled the trigger to buy it.
I use a Fishman under-saddle transducer on a world-class guitar. When I plugged it into the Direct Input, it sounds fantastic! But only when the gain is low. On high volumes, you lose the natural and charming sound of the classical guitar. This would be true of any other amp.
Needing more power for a more natural sound, I decided to buy the DPA 4099 clip-on condenser mic. This made it sound a lot more natural on higher volumes, and feedback issue is minimal which is huge by itself!
But I have mixed feeling regarding the sound, at least when it comes to classical guitar. It is rather flat and not very warm. You may be able to use a mixer to achieve a warm sound, but that defeats the simplicity of set-up purpose. Also, there is a background hiss that may be unacceptable to some classical guitarists playing a lot of quiet passages. I contacted Fishman regarding the hiss and they acknowledged that it is a known issue. But they offered a solution which is to pry open the panel and tape the ribbon wire to the side to avoid contact with the center structure. I tried this but I still can't tell if it made a difference.
I find myself still preferring the sound of my good old AER Compact 60 using either DI or DPA 4099. It is very warm and natural. It just doesn't have the power for a bigger venue.
After experimenting more with the Fishman Solo, I was able to achieve the sound I wanted. The solution for me is to use both the DI on low-gain setting but coupled with the DPA 4099 condenser mic for a natural sound.This gave me a warm and fat sound that I dig. In fact, DPA has a double cable accessory that allows you to have less cable clutter. However, this cable is priced at $199 so I decided in the meantime to just use two separate cables.
The sound is great and I would still recommend it simply because there is no other similar equipment in this price range. The Bose L1 is too expensive and I think less compact. The hiss still bothers me and I remain slightly bummed by it but I think it is the best thing available out there for my purpose so I decided to keep it.
Now, if only AER can come up with a similar amp, I am so there!
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Fishman SA220 Solo Performance SystemPortable and PowerfulDesigned for the singer/songwriter, the SA220 provides exceptional sound quality and coverage in a wide variety of venues. 220Watts of clean, lightweight power drives a line array of six custom high-excursion speakers and a soft dome tweeter. This unique combination delivers incredibly full sound, ultra-wide dispersion, and deeper sonic penetration than the common speaker cabinet. Better yet, the enhanced bass response of the custom designed speakers means theres no need for a subwoofer!Its a PA.and an Amp The performer and audience hear exactly the same sound, so theres no need for separate wedge monitors or a combo amp backline. Because the SA220 is voiced for the singer/songwriter, acoustic instruments and vocals are projected with superb depth and clarity.The Ultimate in Portability This unit weighs only 25lbs*, ships complete with a padded bag equipped with wheels, and includes a rugged speaker stand. Set up takes less than a minute, with only one trip to the car! And full-digital universal power means the SA220 is ready to travel anywhere in the world.Features Performing Musicians DemandFishman didnt make the SA220 this portable by scaling back on features or tone. In fact, theyve included all of the award-winning elements of the Loudbox family, and added a unique Monitor feature designed to revolutionize an acoustic duos ability to hear each other on stage. The SA220 is also equipped with two mic/instrument channels featuring high-quality preamps, each with 3-band EQ, phantom power, built-in reverb, effects loop, and feedback-fighting notch filter and phase controls.
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